Anti-Israel students brought chaos to Columbia University on Tuesday morning, returning the campus to its new normal: dozens of keffiyeh-clad protesters blocked the entrance to the school, praising Hamas, vandalizing a statue, and clashing with police. At least one group involved aims to bring violence to America, while others called on their followers to help shut down the university.
Agitators with Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter prevented students from entering campus, promising that "this is just the beginning." A flyer posted to social media advertising the protest encouraged attendees to "wear a mask," "bring noisemakers," and to "shut it down." And Columbia’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter released a statement praising Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin and the terrorist group’s current chairman, Yahya Sinwar.
NOW: On first day of classes, Pro-Palestine protesters have created a picket outside of Columbia University, demanding to "Shut It Down" and telling students - "Don't Go to Classes, Do Not Enter, Call Out Sick".
Huge line of students has formed around the block to go in.
Video… pic.twitter.com/rwSkFxHadi
— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 3, 2024
"Sheikh Yassin was assassinated by the Zionists in 2004, but even in death, his legacy of unrelenting resistance in the face of oppression lives on," the group wrote on Telegram. "He lives on in his students, which includes the current head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar—the man who fooled the Zionist entity—and all the Palestinian fighters who embody the steadfastness that Yassin taught."
On X, the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter said protests will continue.
"As we begin our new semester, students in Gaza have no universities to return to. Instead of listening to the student body, Columbia University is doubling down. We will not stop & we will not rest until @Columbia divests from apartheid and genocide. This is just the beginning," the group posted to X.
"We refuse to trade in the blood of Palestinians, and until Columbia commits to full financial disclosure and complete divestment from Zionist apartheid, occupation, and genocide — we do not deserve a first day of school," a statement by CUAD said. "In the belly of the beast, we have the highest responsibility to crush the gears of this cold and unloving death machine and to build something new. For us and for Palestine, the only option is revolution."
The first day of classes at Columbia University are drenched in blood. Protests are continuing against the school’s financial support for the zionist entity & repression of anti-zionist voices amid genocide. These photos show the Alma Mater statue at the library covered in paint. pic.twitter.com/8xGXZbJVFc
— Unity of Fields (@unityoffields) September 3, 2024
Just watched someone vandalize Alma Mater. Perpetrator wore a mask and ran away. Public safety followed him after about 15 seconds of looking confused. Still have not yet caught the guy pic.twitter.com/iMjqWIUpeC
— Eliana Goldin (@Eliana_Goldin) September 3, 2024
Inside campus, a masked individual reportedly dumped red paint on the bronze Alma Mater statue. Unity of Fields, a self-described "militant front against the US-NATO-zionist axis of imperialism," formerly known as Palestine Action US, took credit for the vandalism. Campus access is restricted to Columbia ID holders, suggesting the perpetrator was affiliated with the university.
"The first day of classes at Columbia University are drenched in blood," the group posted to X. "We act in full support of the Palestinian resistance. This action is first & foremost an effort to extend the successes of the Palestinian resistance to the heart of the empire itself, to translate their resilience in Gaza to unrest & violence in America."
"Divestment is not an incrementalist goal. True divestment necessitates nothing short of the total collapse of the university structure and American empire itself," the group wrote in a follow-up post listing its demands. "It is not possible for imperial spoils to remain so heavily concentrated in the metropole and its high cultural repositories without the continuous suppression of all populations that resist the empire’s expansion; to divest from this is to undermine and eradicate America as we know it."
National Students for Justice in Palestine touted Tuesday’s demonstrations, posting photos of the vandalized statue with the caption, "Repression breeds resistance," and encouraging Columbia students and faculty to skip classes. Within Our Lifetime, a far-left anti-Semitic group that has openly praised Hamas, similarly asked its followers to "shut down Columbia University’s first day of class for Palestine."
SECOND student arrested by NYPD while participating in a peaceful #Picket4Palestine outside the entrance of Barnard College as NYPD arbitrarily pens the picket inside barricades and threatens arrest if any students touch the barricades. pic.twitter.com/04S8FXCgDD
— Talia Jane (@taliaotg) September 3, 2024
NYPD KETTLING PROTESTORS AT BARNARD, ARREST MADE. Police say they'll make arrests if people touch the barricades. Resist them! #escalate4gaza https://t.co/IZq0NRgb3K pic.twitter.com/KnaeMa8iQw
— Unity of Fields (@unityoffields) September 3, 2024
Outside the gates of nearby Barnard College, Columbia’s sister school, anti-Israel protesters refused to follow police orders to back up, ultimately clashing with law enforcement. Unity of Fields shared a video of the confrontation, encouraging activists to "resist them!" and "escalate4gaza." At least two protesters were arrested.
After a tumultuous spring semester culminating in a violent building takeover by anti-Israel agitators, interim president Katrina Armstrong said her administration is focused on ensuring incoming students' safety, supporting their wellbeing, and protecting their ability to learn.
Over the summer break, meanwhile, anti-Israel student activists strategized about their eventual return to campus and have promised to continue the "revolution." Mahmoud Khalil, a student negotiator with CUAD, told the Hill that students will continue to push Columbia to divest from Israel by "any available means necessary."
"And we’ve been working all this summer on our plans, on what’s next to pressure Columbia to listen to the students and to decide to be on the right side of history," Khalil said.
"We’re considering a wide range of actions throughout the semester, encampments and protests and all of that," he added. "But for us, encampment is now our new base."
Thousands of anti-Israel protesters marched through New York City on Monday, blocking traffic for several hours. Some demonstrators waved Hamas and Hezbollah flags, lit up flares, and set off smoke bombs. The protest was held two days after the death of six hostages in Gaza, including an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
"The University welcomed new and returning students for a productive first day of classes on Morningside Campus," a Columbia spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon. "As we begin the new semester, we are focused on our mission of teaching, creating, and advancing knowledge and ensuring a safe, respectful campus environment for our community."
She also pointed to Armstrong’s Tuesday address welcoming students to campus, which emphasized the importance of continued dialogue.
"Please know that I am listening. Nothing is more important than your Columbia experience," Armstrong said. "My approach to supporting that experience must be grounded in conversations I have and will continue to have with you and your peers."
Update, 11:50 p.m.: This story has been updated to include comment from a Columbia spokeswoman.
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